McKee's Media, 8/27/2021

 

ARTICLES OF INTEREST TO TENANT ADVOCATES: SUPREME COURT BLOCKS CDC EVICTION MORATORIUM John Kruzel: U.S. Supreme Court blocks Biden's eviction moratorium on 6-3 vote (The Hill) Adam Liptak, Hundreds of thousands of tenants at risk of being put out of their homes (NY Times) POOR DISTRIBUTION OF EMERG. RENTAL ASSISTANCE New York Times: As White House braces for Supreme Court decision, only 11 percent of rental assistance funds have been distributed Daily News/AP: Treasury Dept. says that states and localities have distributed only 11 percent of billions in rent relief funds; millions of tenants at risk of eviction NYS's ERAP: David Brand: Good government groups urge probe of $115 million contract to outside vendor hired to implement COVID rent relief program (City Limits) HIGH RENTS and WAREHOUSING Mihir Zaveri: NYC asking rents on vacant apartments rise even as thousands struggle to pay (New York Times) Gus Saltonstall: Lincoln Square neighborhood on Upper West Side of Manhattan has greatest number of empty apartments in NYC (Patch)

Emergency Rental Assistance Program relaxing some requirements

From the August 9, 2021 email of Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell concerning NY State's Emergency Rental Assistance Program:

On July 27th, Governor Cuomo announced that New York will relax documentation requirements for tenants and landlords, streamline the application process, and bring on board at least 350 volunteers from other state agencies to help process applications. These changes will result in payments being sent out for all pending and verified applications by the end of August.

As an additional reminder, state eviction protections have been extended through August 31, 2021 for tenants who lost income or had increased costs during the pandemic, or for whom moving would pose a significant health risk.

If you are interested in finding additional rental assistance programs in the area, please you can check out this new tool introduced by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)  (www.consumerfinance.gov/renthelp). 

** Please be advised that while the state eviction moratorium expires August 31st, the federal moratorium will now run through October 3rd. The new moratorium covers any parts of the country with “high or substantial” COVID-19 transmissibility rates, which includes all five boroughs of the city as well as several other New York counties. The federal moratorium applies to buildings with federal financing - including Section 8. 

Because of state computer glitches, you MUST provide all the documentation needed at the time you fill out the application.  You can't do it part way and then save it and come back later. 

Make sure to watch the video (English and Spanish) on the ERAP website before you start your application.